A Dollar and A Dream

Thursday, February 25, 2016

The Convenience of Ingratitude

On January 28, I traded my wife’s Malibu in for a newer used car with a fraction of the miles – and a piece of factory warranty still remaining. As I drove the Camry around town with my baby daughter in the back seat asleep and the salesman discussing the vehicle, I discovered that I would lose some technology – and that big V6 engine - if we made the deal. For example, Toyota does not offer remote start and this car was the final year that backup cameras were optional as are navigation and satellite radio. Also, our monthly payments would increase nearly eighty dollars from what we were paying on the Chevrolet.

Momma's new ride - 2013 Toyota Camry SE. For some reason, I really like red cars.

My wife still couldn’t grasp being without a remote starter for those cold winter mornings and hot summer afternoons. God had protected us for the past two years through rain, sleet, snow, and bad drivers along with saving us from having to purchase new low-profile tires that would have certainly blown a hole through our budget. To no longer be able to start the car from the bathroom showed that I had become ungrateful for what was a small thing: in that instant, I saw how quickly I could become an ingrate to God. The same Father who did not spare His own Son for my salvation had spared my wife and daughter (and friends) in a miraculous fashion!

While I was slightly disappointed in not getting a better deal, I had to consider the price of peace of mind for my wife and daughter every time they got into the car; that peace outweighed losing a few convenience features.

Friday, February 12, 2016

1YL

For the uninformed, 1YL is shorthand for one year later. I think everyone who has followed Caeli’s life story from birth has seen the pictures, read the blog, and/or shown some empathy and love along the way. Admittedly, not every day was easy and by the grace of God, we got through them all. Instead of blasting your walls with cuteness overload, I’ve chosen one picture per blog link for where we were throughout the journey in the NICU as well as the one in the Dub Shack. Will I ever put this thing in paperback format? I doubt it solely because of time constraints. Besides, being her daddy is way too much fun to slow down and think about ways to make a profit from that roller coaster.

Click on the captions below the pictures and they will take you to any of the 27 chapters of the Dad Chronicles.

A Letter To Baby Caeli

The Moment Dude Became Dad

There are too many of you to shout out individually, so here’s a HUUUUUUUGE thank-you for being you.

The cutest, blackest baby picture in mankind

God bless, we’re out.

Happy Birthday Caeli!

- The C. Armstrong Family – Cedric, Chastity and Caeli

Thursday, February 4, 2016

I'll See You Again

About two weeks ago, one of my younger brothers from childhood passed away due to injuries suffered from an automobile accident at the age of 28. While reading all of the posts via social media about the positive impact Terrance made upon so many lives, I chose to sit back and rewind the memories of him singing in the youth choir; watching him play high school football; having him as a student during that first year as a substitute teacher (as I was working on my certification) and realizing he was wearing the same gray Nautica polo shirt I bought years ago as a high school senior; chuckling with him at his brother’s wedding; keeping up with our lives through Facebook; and so many other moments throughout the years. The separation is tough, yet we share a comfort that we will see him again in eternity.

While life tends to pull people away, God is always near.

We’ve experienced separation from our loved ones: For example, I accepted a teaching job a decade ago that took me across the country far away from any relatives or friends I may have known prior. A child goes off to school or military service in another state or nation. Our busy lives tend to pull us in every direction with families, jobs, civic and church obligations, and putting out home fires that continuing communication beyond a quick text message or tweet or the occasional Face Time is pushed by the wayside. We have Skype, but we don’t have time for face-to-face interaction anymore.

We are here, and they are there. Also, let’s not forget the separation of death.

As believers in Christ, we have the promise that we are never alone. Although we ache from the departure of one brother, He has not gone anywhere – He is right here, now, always, and forever. In John 16:20, Jesus told the disciples “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” He also promised to never leave nor forsake us in Hebrews 13:5.

The rapper Wiz Khalifa penned this chorus for the Fast and Furious 7 movie soundtrack: “It's been a long day, without you my friend/And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again/We’ve come a long way from where we began/But I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.” It is during that separation that Jesus assures us that we will see Him again for He never abandons or forgets His own.

#RIL to my brother @TRichardson42. Glad I got so many years and memories with you. God needed you more w/Him. pic.twitter.com/m11qq611bY
— A. Cedric Armstrong (@cedteaches) January 21, 2016

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Othello and Desdemona as Renaissance Love

Shakespeare’s Othello is more than an early example of interracial love, as many would perceive it to be; it incorporates the attitudes of men toward women and minorities in the case of Othello himself. Throughout the play, a sense of otherness pervades in dialogue between Othello and Desdemona, Othello and Iago, etc. implying that one point or another someone is seen as the superior whereas the other party is deemed inferior. The attitudes include jealousy, stupidity, pride, and greed; each negative characteristic is illustrated within each act.

One must remember that the opinions formed about women came from the Renaissance era, meaning change was bound to happen sooner or later. Othello understood the reason he became the leader of the Venetian army: he has successfully fought off the Turks and sent them back home to Turkey. His followers saw him as a respected leader and a great man who happens to marry the purest woman around: Desdemona. His biggest detractor, Iago, who ironically was his closest friend, became jealous of Cassio because he received the promotion that had been so coveted. The way Iago went about his “inferior” feeling is since he could not take losing to a better qualified person, he begins by bringing up the worst excuse possible: race and the fact Othello and Desdemona are happily married. Therefore, to make himself feel better, he ran to tell her father that his daughter has been sleeping with a black man and they should both be ostracized from Venice.

In addition, Iago attempted to portray Othello as stupid for trusting another man’s words over those of his own wife. Desdemona truly loved him, yet he is stupid for listening to another man about what his faithful wife does while he is away. As a result, Iago plays off Othello’s jealousy to perfection – only to find out he has been framed for the murder. Only after acknowledging the crime does Othello feel sorrowful and vow revenge on all parties involved.

During male-to-female conversations, the male seemed to put on more of a father-daughter relationship as opposed to being equals. In the case of Iago and his wife Emila, he had a tendency to talk to her as if she were a child and an unfaithful whore. The “evidence” planted by Emila, Othello’s napkin from his late mother, comes up with Cassio only because she obeyed Iago’s orders. Jonathan Swetnam was once quoted for saying “Men, I say, may live without women, but women cannot live without men.” (Swetnam 1336). Perhaps his reason for the statement is archaic, but in that era, he was partially accurate for making the comment women cannot live without men. Unfortunately for Swetnam, men cannot live without women because we do not possess all of the body parts to continue into the next generation.

Throughout Othello, pride is shown as a male characteristic as evidenced in every act and scene, particularly in who else? Iago! He stood in the way of everyone’s successes, accomplishments, etc. simply to meet the goal of destroying Othello; in the process, he gained nothing and still lost his soul, identity, and respect of the remaining soldiers.

He Who Wins, Writes the History

“History, who keeps a durable record of all our acts, and exercises her awful censure over the proceedings of all sorts of sovereigns will not forget, either in those events, or in the era of this liberal refinement in the intercourse of mankind.” – Edmund Burke

As the statement reads, history is an extremely accurate record of all of our actions. How we read and understand history is critical of how the future is shaped, or in the cases of certain cultures and generations, if the same history would repeat itself. Burke points to the French Revolution as a turning point not only for France, but also for the majority of the world which consisted of Europe, a few countries in Asia, and a colonial America that only earned independence ten years earlier. Without a revolution of any sort, the world continues to rotate in a chaotic fashion and the original revolutionaries eventually become conservative toward any change. For instance, the children of Louis and Antoinette were forced to watch their parents beheaded by the Napoleon-led commoners.

For us Christians in America, history indeed repeats itself as a result of what sin we have supposedly obliterated with a “we’ll never do it again” and then turn around to magnify the same misdeed ten times over. It comes in different forms of transgression, and while each is worse than the previous as a result of knowing better, the opportunity for forgiveness remains. Hence, for history to repeat itself, one must either be so complacent or ignorant of wrongdoing that there is no turning back.

Sonnet No. 1

How does it feel to keep it real within

When the enemy only wants to see us crack

Unlike Rice Krispies, instead moreso a big box of Cracker Jacks

Are we doing it without sin?

If so, then he who casts the first stone shall judge my fate.

No one is perfect, not even the one who thinks he knows

About every little flaw, defect, all interrupted blows

To the head; in my mind it is nothing more than hate.

Being one hundred percent original is like, representing the cynical

Or something like that, sarcasm reigns supreme

In the minds of those chasing the cream –

Eventually, that becomes a bit mystical.

With that in mind, I shall seek to shine,

Recline in the house with dirt-cheap bottle of wine.

Sonnet No. 2

I hope that this is not a last-minute deal.

I feel that I will be able to accomplish whatever it takes

To not only finish a quick sonnet, but also devour two milkshakes.

I feel like a prisoner eating his final meal,

Not because of how it tastes, but knowing

That cheeseburger and this catsup-drenched onion ring

Are going to be all people remember me for.

Or, will they recollect that time I kicked in the door?

Did I fall in at an angle correct enough

Not falling in or being pushed,

Nor using the childish word squooshed

To land on my rusty lotion-seeking duff?

Let this be a lesson to all.

If you slough off, then surely you shall fall.